Monday, August 15, 2016

Guilt & Suicide

As I’m sure many of you did, my wife and I
saw Suicide Squad in theaters last week. I haven’t been impressed with any of
DC’s movies lately, so I went into this one with fairly low expectations. I’m
also not a fan of villains. It seems to be a common trend these days to idolize
the bad guys. People like villains—the misunderstood criminals, the anti-heroes,
the rebels. In Suicide Squad, Amanda Waller’s team of hardened criminals—including
Deadshot (a lethal assassin), Harley Quinn (the Joker’s psychotic girlfriend),
and Killer Croc (a mutated murderer)—are portrayed as victims as much as they
are villains. Even though I’m not a fan of villains, there's still some good to
be found in many of these bad guys.

One character in particular piqued my
interest—El Diablo. He's the most broken of the bunch. El Diablo is no less a
killer than the rest of the squad, but he's filled with regrets over his past mistakes.
He first used his ability to create and control fire to establish himself as a
gang leader. But then, in a moment of anger, he lost control of his powers,
tragically burning down his own home with his wife and children inside. From
then on, he viewed his powers as a curse from Satan and refused to light up. In
fact, when Amanda Waller first drafts the guy, he says, "I ain't no
weapon. I’ll die in peace before I raise my hand." Even so, El Diablo
seems to think that he is beyond redemption. Later in the film, he reminisces
about his wife praying on his behalf. But then adds, “God didn’t give me these
powers. Why should He take them away.” El Diablo feels swallowed up by guilt
and regret.

I think El Diablo is the most relatable member
of the team. We all make mistakes. The frustrating thing about life is that it
always moves forward. There is no "R" on the stick-shift, no reverse
in the gears. Time never moves backward, not an inch, not a step, never. Therefore
a deed once done, can never be undone. A word once spoken, can never be unsaid.
As a result, all of us live with certain regrets. We may even begin to think
God could never forgive us. But the truth is—no one is beyond God’s grace.

David probably felt much like El Diablo. In a
moment of weakness David commits adultery with Bathsheba. Afraid that his sin
will be discovered, he then sends her husband on his own suicide mission and
orders his fellow soldiers to abandon him on the battlefield. All this
scheming takes its toll, however. David later describes this season of secret sin in
graphic terms: “When I refused to admit my wrongs, I was miserable, moaning and
complaining all day long so that even my bones felt brittle. Day and night,
Your hand kept pressing on me. My strength dried up like water in the summer
heat; You wore me down” (Psalm 32:3-4 TV).

Sleepless nights. Haunting guilt. David was a
walking wreak, living in a swirl of misery. That’s what living with guilt does
to you. Thankfully, David’s story doesn’t end there and neither should yours. David finally confessed his sins to God and sought forgiveness. Psalm 51 is David’s
prayer of repentance. He writes, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your
unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my
sins. Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin” (Psalm 51:1-2 NLT). That’s
just what God did. He washed away David’s sins and restored a sense of joy and
purpose to David’s life. He can do the same for you!

No matter what you’ve done, no matter how
dark or horrible the sins of your past may be, God can take away your guilt and
give you a new purpose in life. Bad guys can become good guys after all.